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The United States Attorney’s Office - Western District of Michigan

ABOUT THE OFFICE OF UNITED STATES ATTORNEY

United States Attorneys serve as the nation's principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. There are 93 United States Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. United States Attorneys are appointed by, and serve at the discretion of, the President of the United States, with advice and consent of the United States Senate. Each United States Attorney is the chief federal law enforcement officer of the United States within his or her particular jurisdiction.

United States Attorneys conduct most of the trial work in which the United States is a party. They have three statutory responsibilities under Title 28, Section 547 of the United States Code: 1) prosecution of criminal cases brought by the Federal government; 2) prosecution and defense of civil cases in which the United States is a party; and 3) collection of debts owed the Federal government which are administratively uncollectible.

ABOUT THE DISTRICT

The Western District of Michigan is unique not only because it is one of the nation's longest federal law enforcement districts, but also because it spans the upper and lower peninsulas, connected by the Mackinac Bridge. Altogether, the Western District extends more than 700 miles from end to end, covering 35,229 square miles and encompassing forty-nine counties.

The Western District is diversely populated and split into two divisions. The Southern Division is the western half of the lower peninsula and comprises thirty-four counties. There are three U.S. Attorney's Offices in the lower peninsula, Grand Rapids and (offices) Lansing and Kalamazoo (un-staffed offices). The Northern Division is in the upper peninsula and has a staffed office in Marquette. See the list of counties below that are in the Western District of Michigan.

The northern part of the District and upper peninsula have a number of Native American reservations that are also under the auspices of the U.S. Attorney. The southern counties are more populated and include the cities of Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Battle Creek, and Lansing, which is the state capitol. Eleven federally recognized tribes also lie within the Western District.

Counties in the Northern Division:

Alger, Baraga, Chippewa, Delta, Dickinson, Gogebic, Houghton, Iron, Keweenaw, Luce, Mackinac, Marquette, Menominee, Ontonagon, Schoolcraft

Counties in the Southern Division:

 Allegan, Antrim, Barry, Benzie, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Charlevoix, Clinton, Eaton, Emmet, Grand Traverse, Hillsdale, Ingham, Ionia, Kalamazoo, Kalkaska, Kent, Lake, Leelanau, Manistee, Mason, Mecosta,  Missaukee,   Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Osceola, Ottawa, St. Joseph, Van Buren, Wexford

Michigan Western Map
Updated November 22, 2023